Holders for floral arrangements and other items requiring moisture are well known in the art. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,962,825; 4,004,367; 4,058,929, incorporated by reference herein, and Ser. No. 08/400,259, filed in the name of the applicant. In general, these holders comprise a water impermeable, molded plastic base member in the shape of a cross, a heart, a rectangle, a wreath, etc., which is generally cup or U-shaped in cross-section. The member can define one or more cavities which are closed at their ends to retain water and can receive water retaining blocks, such as plastic foam blocks. The blocks are retained in the base member by various devices, such as stirrup fasteners which encircle the outer faces of the blocks and are retained by apertures formed in the base member, or by providing a push-fit between the blocks and the walls of the cavities. The blocks are supplied with water after the blocks are inserted into the cavities and, preferably, before stems of the flowers are pushed into the blocks.
Currently, holders for floral arrangements are constructed to receive a foam block such that the top surface of the block is parallel to the surface upon which the holder is supported. The stems of flowers are ordinarily placed orthogonally into the top surface of such blocks to provide that the flowers are securely retained in and extend generally vertically from the holder.
Often, it also is desired to include flowers in a holder so that the flowers extend at an angle relative to flowers which are inserted into and vertically extend from the top surface of a foam block in the holder. For example, when flower holders are placed on top of a casket which has a raised central portion with a flat top joined to its vertical sides by a sloping portion extending at an angle to both the flat top and the vertical sides, it is desirable to have the flowers over both the flat top and the sloping portions and, preferably, drape over the upper portions of the vertical sides. With the prior art holders in which the sides of the blocks extend only vertically, it is difficult, and requires skill, to insert the stems of the flowers into a side of the block and provide a good appearance as well as to cause the flowers to overlie the sloping portions of the casket with a cascade effect. With a block having only horizontal and vertical surfaces, the stems of flowers which are to extend at an angle relative to the vertically extending flowers generally are inserted at an angle offset from the orthogonal to the top surface of the foam block and into the vertical side surfaces of the block. The insertion of stems into a foam block at a non-orthogonal angle to its top surface, in addition to the difficulties set forth, does not always result in secure retention of those stems in the block.
Therefore, there exists a need for a holder which can receive foam blocks which stems of flowers can be placed easily, conveniently and securely so that the stems of the flowers extend not only substantially vertically from the holder but also extend from the holder at an angle to the vertical direction.